There is often the need for sampling and analysis of dangerous or hazardous materials, or materials located in hazardous environments. Examples include sampling and analyzing the condition of soil or water for the presence of hazardous waste such as radioactive waste or toxic chemicals. In addition, there is a demand for equipment and methods for mineral exploration and assay.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/117,242, filed on Sep. 3, 1993, entitled Mobile Inductively Coupled Plasma System, describes a method and apparatus for sampling and analyzing hazardous materials proximate the site such that an absolute minimum of hazardous material need be released or removed from the site. According to one embodiment of the invention, a remotely controlled cart with a three-axis robot arm carries a probe which can be lowered into a sampling bore. The sampling probe includes a pair of inflatable annular seals used to enclose a volume of gas in the bore hole. The probe further includes laser ablation apparatus for ablating a sample from the subsurface formation, which is transported in an aerosol system to an inductively coupled plasma device for atomic elemental analysis. The system contemplates that the down-hole or bore is drilled and/or formed with a casing which includes one or more openings through which the probe may access the soil or subsurface formation to be sampled. While such casings can achieve depths of 150-200 feet, it is believed most subsurface areas of interest are much shallower, perhaps on the order of 50 feet or less. Accordingly, it would be deskable if there existed a less expensive and faster way to access subsurface formations with a sampling probe.